A VODKA-fuelled attacker who throttled a terrified woman he held captive in an empty Bradford house has been jailed for 18 months.

Ibrar Arif dragged his slightly-built victim to the ground and they wrestled for control of a kitchen knife at the property where he had been staying, in Vignola Terrace, Clayton.

The young woman suffered grip marks to her throat, a bruised right arm and lacerations to three fingers on her right hand, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Arif, 37, who was held in Leeds Prison before he was sentenced yesterday, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron told the court that Arif and his victim had been friends for several years.

He asked her to go for a drive with him on December 14 last year and took her to the flat in Clayton, saying he wanted to collect his post.

Once there, he drank vodka and locked the door when she tried to leave.

The pair struggled together and Arif grabbed the woman's throat and pulled her down by the belt of her trousers.

While they struggled for possession of the kitchen knife, neighbours heard the commotion and called the police.

The woman was taken to hospital but did not require any medical treatment.

In a statement read to the court, she said: "I am terrified and scared of going out of my home. I get flashbacks and will never trust anyone again, especially men.

"Ibrar Arif put me in hell. It was hard for me to breathe because every time I tried, he had his hand over my mouth."

The court heard that Arif was jailed for three years in 2009 for possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

After his arrest in 2006, he jumped bail and fled to Pakistan before returning voluntarily to the United Kingdom.

His barrister, Kate Batty, said Arif rang his victim to repeatedly state how sorry he was.

He took hold of the knife and threw it away during the struggle.

Judge David Hatton QC said Arif took his victim to the flat and locked her in.

"While she was confined, you assaulted her in a prolonged and sustained manner. You dragged her across the floor, repeatedly throttled her so that she was struggling to breathe," he said.

She then suffered lacerations when a knife was somehow obtained.

"It all had a traumatic effect on her," Judge Hatton said.

He made a restraining order without limit of time banning Arif from having any contact with his victim.